City of Piedmont
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
DATE: April 17, 2023
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: Rosanna Bayon Moore, City Administrator
SUBJECT: Consideration of a Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Join the Climate Mayors Network on Behalf of the City of Piedmont
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution to authorize the Mayor to join the Climate Mayors network on behalf of the City of Piedmont.
BACKGROUND
Established in 2014, Climate Mayors is a bipartisan, peer-to-peer network comprised of more than 750 U.S. Mayors committed to demonstrating local climate leadership through meaningful actions in their communities. In addition to local climate leadership, Climate Mayors help build political will for federal and global climate action. Notably, the Climate Mayors network is committed to adopting, honoring, and upholding the commitments to the goals of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. While not binding, Climate Mayors members must lend their name to the Paris Agreement. Members of the Climate Mayors network are also asked to join in occasional letters and statements, as well as substantive initiatives like Climate Mayors Electric Vehicle (EV) Purchasing Collaborative. The Collaborative, launched in September 2018, includes over 250 cities, counties, transit agencies, port authorities, and colleges and universities committed to purchasing EVs. The Collaborative also provides training, best practices, educational resources and analysis support, creating a one-stop shop to support EV transitions for public fleets.
By signing on to participate in the Climate Mayors network, cities are encouraged to pursue actions to achieve an emissions reduction target through:
• Developing a community greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory • Setting near- and long-term targets to reduce emissions • Developing a Climate Action Plan aligned with the city’s targets The City of Piedmont has completed these milestones, most recently completing a GHG inventory for 2020. The City Council adopted the initial Piedmont Climate Action Plan (CAP) in 2010, followed by the Piedmont Climate Action Plan 2.0 (CAP 2.0) on March 19, 2018. The adopted CAP 2.0 identifies a citywide GHG emissions reduction goal to 40% below its 2005 baseline by 2030 and 80% by 2050. The City Council passed a resolution expressing Piedmont’s continued commitment to the goals of the Paris Agreement in 2017. If the Council elects to participate in the Climate Mayors network, these actions would be recognized and documented in the Climate Action Compendium, a detailed inventory of municipal actions on climate change and other sustainability issues.
CONSISTENCY WITH CLIMATE ACTION PLAN 2.0
By joining the Climate Mayors network, Piedmont would further its commitment to implementing the City’s CAP 2.0 and raise sustainability awareness in the community. Participation in the program is consistent with measures outlined in the CAP 2.0, including:
• Measure MUN-3.2: Reduce municipal vehicle fleet emissions • Measure MUN-6.1: Enhance and update the City’s climate action program outreach efforts • Measure MUN-6.2: Collect information to track progress on the climate action plan
FISCAL IMPACT
Participation in the Climate Mayors network is voluntary. There is no fiscal impact to join in that the preparation of GHG inventories, the development of climate action plans and the setting of targets are tasks being performed by City staff regardless of the City’s participation in the Climate Mayors network. The network is designed to complement existing efforts of climate action plans which would translate to little or no fiscal impact.
CONCLUSION
At the minimal expense of City staff time towards the preparation of this report, and with no additional direct costs, Piedmont’s participation in the Climate Mayors network will enable the City to demonstrate its continued commitment to taking ambitious climate action and to take advantage of information shared through the network. Should the Council agree to adopt the resolution, City staff will submit an application to participate in the network.
ATTACHMENT
Exhibit A Page 3 Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Join the Climate Mayors Network By: Alyssa Dykman, Sustainability Program Manager
Agenda Report Page 2
RESOLUTION ______
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PIEDMONT
AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO JOIN THE CLIMATE MAYORS NETWORK ON
BEHALF OF THE CITY
WHEREAS, there is broad scientific consensus that global warming caused by emissions of greenhouse gasses (GHG) from human activities is among the most significant problems facing the world today; and
WHEREAS, the State of California has mandated a statewide reduction of GHG emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80% below 1990 levels by 2050;and WHEREAS, Governor Jerry Brown signed Executive Order B-55-18 setting a new statewide goal of net-zero GHG emissions as soon as possible, and no later than 2045 with netnegative emissions thereafter; and WHEREAS, the City of Piedmont has been a leader in the fight against climate change, having adopted an initial Climate Action Plan in 2010 and an updated Climate Action Plan 2.0 in 2018, which aims to reduce the City’s GHG emissions 40% below 2005 levels by 2030 and 80% below 2005 levels by 2050; and
WHEREAS, in December 2015, the Paris Climate Agreement was adopted by the global community and included a commitment from almost every nation to take action and enact programs to limit global temperature increase to less than 2 degrees Celsius, with an expectation that this goal would be reduced to 1.5 degrees in the future; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council hereby:
1. Pledges its continued commitment to demonstrating leadership on climate change through meaningful actions in the community; and
2. Authorizes the Mayor to join the Climate Mayors network on behalf of the City. [END OF RESOLUTION]
Exhibit A Agenda Report Page 3